1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a conference device installed in each of locations to conduct a video conference between the locations and a server that has a communication connection with the conference devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a video conference system has become widely used that enables a remote conference (video conference) by connecting terminal devices (conference devices) installed in remote places (locations) via a network such as the Internet. The conference devices are installed in conference rooms or the like in the respective locations and exchange images and voice of conferees with the other conference devices to conduct the video conference. Specifically, each of the conference devices captures images of the conferees participating in the video conference by a camera and collects voice of the conferees by a microphone, transmits the image data and the voice data to the other conference devices, receives image data and voice data from the other conference devices, displays a conference screen using the received image data on a display unit, and outputs the voice data, as audio, from a speaker.
Incidentally, if a general camera is used as the camera of the conference device, it may be difficult to capture an image of the entire conference room because the angle of view of the general camera is narrow. In particular, when a large number of conferees participate in the conference, in some cases, it may be difficult to capture all of the conferees within the field of view of the camera. To cope with this, there is a known technology to provide a wide-angle lens in the camera and perform image processing on a wide-angle image to zoom in or pan the scene of the conference (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H08-279999).
In the video conference system as described above, there is a demand by the conferees to conduct the video conference while viewing a desired conference screen according to the discussions in the conference or according to the progress of the conference. For example, there is a demand to conduct the conference while viewing the situation in the other conference rooms (situation of all of the conferees) or focusing on a specific conferee.
However, the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H08-27999 only enables to generate image data of the entire conference room or image data of an enlarged part of the conference room by performing image processing on the wide-angle image, but is unable to display a conference screen by using image data that the conferees want to view. Therefore, for example, even when the conferees want to view the situation of all of the conferees in the other locations, a conference screen with a close-up view of a specific conferee, such as a speaker, may be displayed. Namely, the conference screen desired by the conferee and the actual conference screen do not always match each other.
Therefore, there is a need for a conference device and a server capable of displaying a conference screen as desired by a conferee.